


The Crimson Circus

by Danowsawa



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Comedy, Dark Comedy, F/M, Gen, Horror, M/M, Mystery, Post-Calamity Ganon, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danowsawa/pseuds/Danowsawa
Summary: After the Calamity rocks the very foundation of Hyrule, an enterprising Gerudo sees an opportunity, not only to turn a profit, but also to bring respite to a land reeling from the disaster. With their finances being wrung dry, however, an accountant is brought in to better steer the circus- only to discover far more about the Airooma Circus than he had ever bargained for.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

"Come one! Come all!" arose the harkening shouts of Cryer Lagun as he strolled down the main road of Hateno Village, hands cupped around his mouth as his lungs exploded in proclamation, "Don't allow your night to be a calamity as well! Come to the Airooma Circus and make tonight a celebration!"

The Hylian at his side dropped his face into the palm of his hand, "Goddess, Lagun, we're supposed to make them _excited_ , not dreary…"

"What? It's catchy," he shrugged, allowing his boisterous lungs a rest from his incessant shouting, "C'mon Brother, they love wordplay!"

Crossing his arms, his brother frowned, "Some still live who _remember_ the Calamity."

"All the more reason to come see the show!" Lagun reasoned, only forcing a bedraggled groan from the man beside him, raising his hands to his mouth once again, taking advantage of his talent of loud-mouthedness, "Ladies and gents! We have Goron Bowling! Performances by the renowned Zora Strikers! All the best-"

A grumpy accusation came from a villager, their face camouflaged by the number of people strolling around a packed-high cart of grains, "Renowned _where_ exactly? Lomel Island?"

His pithy responses earned a few chuckles from the neighboring cart hands, leaving Lagun turning to his brother for an answer, though the man only replied with a complaining groan, "This is why you don't make stuff up."

"But they _are_ renowned!"

"Yeah, to _us_ ," his brother bit back with an impatient temper, "Just 'cause _we_ know 'em, don't expect anybody else to know 'em."

Scoffing with a heat to his breath, Lagun crossed his arms, twisting his lips as he retorted, "Well, so long as _I'm_ aware of their greatness, that's good enough for me."

"And that, my brother, is your problem," the skeptical of the two, Norrall, complained lightly, almost with an instructive air, "Why did we become the pair of brothers amongst whom the younger of the two is the more sensible one?"

"I'm plenty sensible," Lagun reasoned merely, turning toward a passing band of children, skittering past the two as they stampeded their way out toward some unknown play area, leaving the Hylian to shout with a boisterous voice, "Children! You ever wanted to shoot a Rito out of the air?! The Airooma Circus is drawing up its canvas'd ends, and-!"

The children began to laugh as they skittered past, the most rude of the bunch spinning around as he continued his hasty stride, sneering, "Dude, you're, like, forty, and you're the one excited for a circus? Pff- Ha ha!"

Lagun clenched his teeth in time with his fist as he returned to his brother, knowing that chasing after the young would be a futile effort, leaving him only to complain, "What a little- gobule! I'm a Cryer; it's what I do!"

He slammed his open palms against his chest, "What I lack in, well, just about _everything_ , I make up for in charisma!"

"There, now, brother," Norrall assured, albeit with an uncertainty that betrayed his calming demeanor, "At least you've grown willing to better yourself. I'd much rather have a man prepared to learn than to remain proud of their ignorance."

Lagun eyed him skeptically, "-and what exactly do you mean by that..?"

Shrugging, Narroll tugged at his collar, leaning away from his brother as they matched strides, "I was simply complimenting you on your ability to learn about the world. Before the Calamity, I mean- Things changed."

"Sure did," Lagun groaned, leaving Narroll to silently commend his ability to wield nostalgia in an aim to avert the subject, though this only led Lagun into eulogizing, "How I miss those days, brother… Tasting foods, feeling the sun against my skin- All my senses just seem so dull since then. Even looking upon a fine maiden- Is it just me, brother?! have the women of this world even lost their sparkle?!"

Narroll covered his mouth, massaging his face as his eyes trailed off, "That might only be you, brother… I highly doubt that- They sparkled?"

"Bwah ha! They sure did!" the elder of the two laughed, grappling his brother's shoulders and yanking him against his side, "Like how beams of light collect atop a rupee before being cast upon your eyes- so brilliant. Eyes, turning upward in amusement as smiles rest there upon their faces; so perfectly chiseled."

Lagun slapped his hand playfully against his brother's arm, "I suppose you _were_ quite young at the time, though; I don't see how you might remember."

"All the best, I suppose," Narroll spoke with a crooked smile, "Without your magnificent recollections, I haven't a qualm when it comes to the finer things in l-"

As the two strode down the Hateno lane, within a small collection of people, a woman stepped in time behind the lot of the group, her head held low in a dignified expression, as if her innocence prevented her from showing much of any other portion of her personality. Her eyes peered up at the sensation of approaching bodies, leaving only a gentle smile on her face, only in the sense of politeness, at the sight of the two strangers.

Lagun quickly took hold of his hat, draping it atop his chest as he bowed with a powerful smile of his own, while Narroll could only retain his vision while resting his eyes upon the lovely young woman. He felt a cold sweat, in part due to his brother's, almost prophetic, words from a moment earlier, catching his breath in his throat as the two parties crossed paths, leaving the two men alone on the other side.

"W- Wow," Narroll spoke in a jittery voice.

Lagun returned his hat to his head, "Well, I suppose some semblance of beauty has remained since the Calamity."

"A semblance?!" Narroll blurted out, almost in offence on the woman's behalf, "A sculpture commissioned to do the Goddess' _own_ _work_ could not have crafted such a beauty!"

Shrugging, Lagun replied rather lazily, "Eh. Things have just changed since everything happened. I told you, even food doesn't taste as good."

"Gah; you stubborn-" Narroll sighed, running his hand across his face.

Lagun easily replied, "Perhaps if things change, you'll have more of a contrast! Until then- WA-HEY, SIR!"

He threw his arms out toward a passerby, nearly accosting him and forcing the pedestrian to recoil in terror before Lagun reigned himself in, "Come on down to the Airooma Circus! We're pitchin' the tent just down at the Ovli Plain, and we'd be pleased to have your patronage!"

Despite his eyes having read 'fight or flight' a second earlier, the man sudden spun his face with inquiry, wondering aloud, "A circus?"

"Yessir! and I know what you're gonna say- 'Oh, buddy, is it really the time for a fun, ol' circus'- Well, I'm here to say-!"

He turned to his brother, pulling him in.

" _We're_ here to say, that makes it the perfect time for a circus!"

The man watched them with languid interest, leaving Lagun to throw his arms wide as he explained exuberantly, "Our most magnificent ring leader, Zel'Uvam, has seen the darkness that has been wrought upon this world by the Calamity. Hope as all but been wrung from Hyrule, but if for a single night, if we can all come together and remember, just for a moment, how things used to be- She figured that, perhaps, then, this enterprise might just be worth it."

With narrow, piercing eyes, the man watched Lagum's excitable appeal, curling his lips to the side as he shrugged, "I suppose I could give it a shot."

"Wah HA!" Lagun boisterously exclaimed, raising a fist into the air, "Then I do wish to see you there! Not a soul has left the Airooma unfulfilled, I assure you!"

The man nodded with wavering interest, muttering in reply as he stepped away, "Yeah, yeah- I got ya. See you there."

As he left their earshot, Lagum spun wildly back toward Narroll, exclaiming lowly, "See, brother?! My charisma saves the day again!"

Narroll rolled his eyes, "Then perhaps your brain could learn something from it. You forgot to give him the parchment so that he'll remembder."

"Blast it all to-!" Lagun roared in upset, slamming a hand into his forehead before yanking his body around and dashing back down the pathway, yelling out in between pants, "Sir! SIR!"

Narroll shook his head, rubbing two fingers across his eyes.

"Goddess help him," he mumbled in unwarranted prayer.

* * *

Beneath the wonderous, cascading falls of Nirvata Lake sat a series of rolling plains, snuggled between might mounds of rock formations, making the terrain unbearable for many to traverse. For Zel'Uvam, however, or as she was known prior to this latest enterprise, 'The One Who Thinks Little Before Acting', such a landscape was exactly what she strived to set up upon, or rather, conquer. The Gerudo often settled her tent, the masthead of Airooma Circus, atop these rugged plots of land simply to prove that she and her entourage could do so, if only for confirmation in her own mind- most patrons didn't bother beyond an initially annoyance when it came to traveling to the nebulous venue.

Zel'Uvam', or Zel, had a history about as ambiguous as whatever plot of land she hoped to settle next. Little was known about her before the Calamity; however, not long after, this enterprise seemed rather ideal for the entrepreneur of sorts. In terms of supply and demand, indeed, Hyrule was deficient when it came to fun, hope, and high spirits, and Zel set out to put on a production like none other.

Within a matter of weeks, she had assembled a crew of wily circus hands, none of whom were more loyal than Ruze, a Goron who Zel had met early on into the venture whose spirit and optimism Zel figured would be perfect to head up the circus at her side. While her crew spanned quite a number of stagehands, performers, and entertainers, Zel always trusted her Goron friend above all others, and Ruze offered her the same loyalty in kind.

With the Airooma set to hold its show the following evening, Ruze strolled along the grounds, watching the stagehands prepare for the night's festivities, his movement taking him close to the 'Master of Canvas', a Sheikan man by the name of Gille, whose title all but declared him to be the main man when it came to raising the massive symbol of Airooma Circus- the tent itself.

"No! No! Over _there_!" he barked in a shrieking voice as Ruze approached him, throwing his pointing hand to the left side of the tent that was being dragged along slanted beams, "Pull _that_ side first!"

Ruze meandered over, watching the Sheikah work his magic, even if it was merely that kind of work made possible by delegating rather than doing. With the tent gradually finding its place atop the wooden frame that had already been erected, Ruze nodded to himself with a smile before stepping along, ensuring that everything was going according to plan.

His routine was buffeted, however, by the arrival of one of the stagehands, Nekia, whose wings carried her across the sky before stumbling to the ground at Ruze's side, sending a fright through the Goron's body.

"My dear!" he exclaimed, clutching his chest, "You must stop doing that!"

Nekia groaned, reaching down to examine her ankle, "I know; I just- It's just not healed, yet."

"Then why are you working it so?" Ruze questioned seriously, "You do understand how important you are to the show, correct?"

She nodded, "I do, but- Dorri told me it was urgent- The-"

Nekia turned her head over her shoulder, examining the landscape before leaning in closer to the headmaster.

"He's here."

Ruze's brow furrowed with curiosity, "Who's here?"

Her shoulders dropping defeatedly, sending her plumage aflutter, Nekia groaned, "You know! _The_ _accountant_."

"Ah!" Ruze exclaimed happily, "Why didn't you say so?! I must meet him, then! but, eh- Why the whispers?"

As the Goron took off in a hasty walk, Nekia followed at his side, running her hand nervously down her arm, "Well, I mean- If word got out about- I didn't think-"

With a soft smile, that of a teacher working up an instructive tone toward a student, Ruze explained, "Nekia. Why are you here?"

"Why-" she paused, her throat seizing up from confusion, "I mean-"

Ruze finished for her, "-because you haven't anywhere else, correct?"

Her beak turning distastefully, Nekia dropped her head in a sorrowful surrender, "Yes. That's true."

"The same is true for most everybody here," Ruze assured, reaching over to pat the Rito's shoulders, "Let's assume our circus'- financial difficulties does get out and onto the rumor mill. Where would anybody go were they to find out?"

Nekia sighed, crossing her arms, "I suppose you're correct, but- I don't know. I guess I just felt it was in the best interest of the Circus Master."

"Eh, uh-" Ruze finally appeared shaken as he replied, "Well, now- By no means did I say to go spouting out that information to everybody! Under no circumstance would I want to start fires that the Circus Master has no interest in snuffing out, but-"

He took a readying gasp, nodding, "Just don't worry about that. Just worry about that ankle, alright? That means _no more message deliveries_ , alright? She'd have my rocky neck if she found out I was party to you spraining it again."

"It wouldn't be _that_ bad. As long as Tynoss and Skusli are parading their feathers around- Those two guys blow my performance out of the water just about every night," Nekia warned with a stiff smile.

Ruze shook his head, "Bah. Now, don't humble yourself too much, Nekia. Now look-"

He stopped in place, turning toward her in appraisal as he drew his fingers across his chin, forcing Nekia to blush as he did so.

"Those two are masters of aerial acrobatics, but that's precisely why the Circus Master _didn't_ hire you," Ruze explained, shaking his head, "Those two fly, but you- You levitate, hover- What you do is _art_. Leave those two to the science of flight. Alright."

It was the same thing Ruze would often relay to Nekia whenever her ambition began to wane, leaving her to note, "You know that you've-"

"Hey, I'm a one trick pony," Ruze shrugged with a grin, turning to began walking back toward the grounds' entrance, "I do _one_ thing, but goddess, I do it well, don't I?"

Nekia smirked humorously, dropping her head in exasperation before whipping it back toward him with a smile, "You do. Thanks."

"Anytime!" he exclaimed, "Now, go and rest that ankle and I'll go meet- Ah! That must be him!"

Peering around the circumference of the still-rising tent, Ruze caught sight of a scrawy-looking Hylian standing there, watching the activities speeding along around him with a vague interest, as if it were all brand new to him. A pack of Gorons carrying a massive crate of equipment forced him stumbling backwards and out of their way, his hand immediately swiping up into the air to shove his glasses back atop his nose.

Nekia frowned, "Sure he's the right guy for the job?"

"What job?"

She eyed the Goron skeptically, "Cleaning up this mess..?"

Ruze chuckled, "Let's ignore the number of people the Circus Master invited before coming across _this_ one, shall we?"

The Rito shook her head, only to Ruze's dismay, "I'll let you in on a secret- I was the first one hired on to this circus, and to this day, guess how many of us were brought on as _actual_ professionals?"

Thinking of her own unnotable history for a brief moment, Ruze took the silence to send him into finishing, "Exactly. Zero. I think we've all done just about our best work, regardless, wouldn't you say?"

Nekia rolled her eyes, though her distrust was betrayed by the knowing smile she had taken on, shaking her head as the split away from the Goron's path, leaving him with a quiet, "I hope the trend continued, Ruze."

"It will!" he assured with a heartwarming chuckle, patting his massive hands together as he approached the out-of-place, wayward Hylian.

Clutching at his robes to keep them from scraping the soil, the man scurried around, avoiding the still-oncoming traffic, looking up from his examination of his clothing to find Ruze, the Goron's pleasantly large smile catching his attention as someone arriving to greet him.

"Bah ha," Ruze chortled, "You know, they're purposefully taking that path just to see you react to skittishly."

The Hylian pursed his lips with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment, "Well, that is-! rather par for the course, actually…"

He shook his robes before releasing them back toward his feet, pulling the satchel slung over his shoulder to his front before burying his hands into it, muttering, "I'm, eh- I guess you don't really need- Ah, there's one."

The man slid a slip of paper free from the pack, handing it off to Ruze, who peered at it without taking it in his hand, the Hylian speaking astutely, "I was requested to come and see to your business' finances. I corresponded with a, uh- Zel?"

"The Circus Master, yes," Ruze nodded.

Eyes curling suspiciously, the man returned, "Anyway, my name is Talo. As you can see, here-"

He waved the parchment in his hand.

"-I graduated top of the middle of my class, and spent a few years as an apprentice at the Kingdom's treasury."

Ruze's eyes peered up toward the man, "…does Hyrule Kingdom still have a treasury?"

With a scrutinizing glare, Talo watched Ruze with slight contempt before muttering, "..yes."

Almost immediately letting out a shrug, Ruze simply replied, "Alright, sounds good! You, uh-"

"Are you the proprietor of this establishment?" Talo interrupted.

Ruze suddenly paused, having not considered that role before, answering, "I mean, I suppose so."

"Fantastic. I would love to meet this 'Zel' person and get to work right away, I-"

"The Circus Master, yes," Ruze repeated.

Another scrutinizing glance before Talo went on, slower, "…I see that you're all busy, but the sooner I get to work, the better. I wasn't brought in by the hour, you know."

"Ah, yes, I understand whole-heartedly!" Ruze declared, turning his head over his shoulder before waving the man along, "Well, uh, right this way! I can't guarantee you'll meet the Circus Master, but I'm about as good as meeting _her_ , so I'll have you in good hands as far as access goes."

Talo's brow fell suspiciously, "I was under the impression that-"

"The Circus Master is quite busy preparing, you understand," Ruze laughed, "I can assure you further, though; she will be quite pleased to know you've arrive and are doing your work."

"Yes…" Talo murmured nervously, watching the ramshackle operation around him with worrisome eyes, "My work…"


	2. Chapter 2

The door to the caravan's enclosed wagon, where the entirety of the traveling troupe's financial dealings were kept, swung open with a ceremonious plume of dust bursting into the wagon's interior before billowing out toward Ruze and Talo, the Hylian immediately gasping for coughing breaths as he covered his face.

"Goddess!" he complained.

Ruze only laughed as he slammed a powerful paw into Talo's back, forcing the Hylian to stumble forward in agony, "It doesn't get much use, true, but that's why you're here, is it not?"

"I- *hack* -suppose so?" Talo gasped in reply, only wiping off the dust from his face as the plume began to settle, "Alright. I'm going to need to see everything. Where are your financial records?"

Ruze shot him a blank stare.

"Receipts?"

…

"By the goddess- Do you at least have payroll records?"

His rocky lips pursing in thought, Ruze pondered for a moment before, "I mean, what really _are_ paycheck is, really?"

"Gah…" Talo groaned, shaking his head, "I suppose this explains my services being paid for quite generously…"

Ruze managed to reach into the wagon, swiping a slip of paper before handing it toward Talo, "I suppose you could start with your own services. As financial records, that is-"

Talo's brow furrowed, desperately seeking reassurance for his having come here.

* * *

"Alright, men!" Gille cried out in his characteristically shrill voice, "Now-! PULL!"

With a final burst of energy, the line of deckhands dragged the massive canvas atop the entirety of the wooden frame, leaving behind the magnificent designs that surrounded the circus tent, ever inviting all who caught sight of it. Their task done, most of the bedraggled deckhands fell to the ground, gasping for breath as their Sheikah foreman climbed down from his authoritative perch atop a stool.

"Excellent!" he commended, albeit with something of misappropriation in his voice, as though he thought more of himself than of the man who dragged the tent itself, "Now, hurry along! We've yet to start on the interior, and darkness will come soon enough!"

Clutching his waist, one of the stagehands complained, "Just a quick break, sir."

"Pah! The nerve!" Gille retorted, "Hurry it along, then! I won't let the lot of you empty my pockets!"

The Sheikah plodded off expectantly toward the tent, leaving his crew to take their rushed break, the stagehand from earlier collapsing onto the ground, lying there even as his friend noted aloud.

"Must've made a bet with that Girbo bloke," the Zora man, Neli, chuckled, "Another sad attempt at a bunch of weaklings trying to outdo the Gorons over in transportation."

The Hylian, Otoll, wormed in a tired reply, "I think Gill's just trying to overcompensate."

"Wouldn't shock _me_ ," came the Zora's cocky reply as he snickered, his face dropping with a sigh, "Still though; it's gonna be a short night. Even without a bet, Zel's probably hurting for a show without interruptions just to get everybody out on time."

Otoll rolled his eyes, "She's living a delusion, then. I've been here enough to know that nothing ever goes according to plan."

"Listen to you," Neli grinned, "Sounding like some grizzled vet. What's it been, a few months?"

Otoll rolled around indignantly, "Long enough to know."

Chuckling quietly, Neli shifted to a more comfortable spot as he groaned, "You're not wrong, though. In my years, I've seen, oh, _maybe_ two wholly accurate shows? It's difficult enough, the coordination, without coordinations running up against other coordinations. Then you've got the cliques scattered about."

"Ugh," Otoll smoothed his face with open palms, leaving Neli to smirk, "Not that again."

Lips turning mischievously, Neli cocked his eyes up toward the tent, "Ahh, you still seek that fruit which dare not be attained."

"Shut up," Otoll grumbled.

Mutely laughing, Neli shook his head, "At least for the next week or two, you won't have to deal with my teasing."

Otoll's eyes wandering rather quickly to Neli's face, watching expectantly for the Zora's continued explanation.

"She had a setback with her ankle 'n Ruze said she'd be out until it heals," he explained, "But, hey; perhaps she'll come and see our grubby deckhands while she's recovering!"

Rolling his eyes once more, Otoll groaned, "Not a chance. The fliers don't bother with us."

"Perhaps not, but-" Neli smirked, "-were she to have caught your adoring gaze, perhaps that interest-"

Otoll rolled toward the Zora, throwing a punch that went evaded as Neli happily jolted away, hopping to his feet as he did so, "Come on, it was a joke!"

"A rotten one," Otoll noted pithily.

The Zora smirked before returning to Otoll's side, offering his hand to raise the Hylian to his own feet, "Okay, I'll grant you that one, but-"

With a huff, he worked Otoll upright, going on, "-you know I'm just joking around."

"I know, which is what frustrates me. I can't hit you when I know you're doing that," Otoll frowned.

"Ha!" Neli laughed, shaking his head as the two began toward the tent among the bedraggled ground of deckhands still lazing around.

He frowned at the sight, turning to Otoll inquisitively, "Looks like they're in need of a rousing speech, huh?"

"Please, Neli- no," Otoll grumbed, knowing his plea would go unheeded.

Throwing his arms up, Neli declared, "Alright, men! Are we to be content with this useless dawdling about?!"

"Yes!" cried one of the deckhands.

Frowning at their obstinance, Neli sighed, "Am I to believe such ambition to be devoid of such sterner stuff?!"

One of the deckhands grumbled languidly, turning to another to complain, "Gah, he's about to go off again."

"You bet I am!" Neli charged, throwing a hand into the air in triumph, "We have but one life to live, and we shant not waste it! Atop the highest mountain, beneath the deepest waters- Across the vastest deserts-!"

He went on with a boisterous attitude wholly undeserved, leaving the deckhands to lazily work their way back up to their feet, the lot of them murmuring curses as they made their way toward the massive tent.

"-casting swaths across the shallowest of puddles! Between-!"

Otoll elbowed the Zora at the side, breaking him from his spell before noting plainly, "Hey, mission accomplished."

Despite the victory, Neli couldn't help but sigh, dropping his shoulders, "Once, I wish they'd let me finish…"

"I guess you're just that good," Otoll reasoned as they followed the deckhands into the tent, ready to further prepare for the performance.

* * *

"BWWWAR! How's that?!"

Tynoss gave his partner a scrutinizing glance, shaking his head, "No, no, no. It's too comical. You want to sound more ferocious. Like-"

He cleared his throat before unleashing a roiling, "GWAAAHH!"

His face turned narrow, Skusli nodded in study of the Rito's performance, returning to his mirror and rehearsing once again, throwing his arms out in emulation of flight, scowling in an attempt at fright as he once again practiced his roar.

"GWAAAAH!"

Tynoss bit his lip, "Perhaps you're trying a bit too hard. Look, we haven't even decided on the routine; isn't it a bit early to begin improvising?"

"Heavens, no!" Skusli immediately argued, "If there's any way to further embellish our performance, I'm all for it! If we're careening across the sky of the tent, taking flight in massive aerial courses right atop the guests- It will be the greatest thrill if we were to growl as we did so!"

A skeptical eyebrow rose atop Tynoss' face, though he continued on with his task of fluffing up his feathers, ignoring the opposing Rito's reasoning as he concluded, "Fine, then; do as you like. It's not as if you'll end up answering to me, anyway. Just keep tip-top shape on your routine and I haven't a qualm."

"Excellent!" Skusli chuckled, "Perhaps I will suggest a tally! My half of the tent will rate their engagement against yours!"

A wry grin found its way onto Tynoss' face as he charged back, "Like I need _another_ venue to beat you."

" _Ahem_. I _do_ believe I blew the top off the entire tent last summer when I unleased the Mach Spinner."

Tynoss laughed, turning his head over his shoulder to glance at his partner in flight, "Only because you literally did so! Nekia nearly had you tracked down and killed for ruining her little thing."

"Pah!" Skusli rolled his eyes, the mention of their third causing him to lack interest in his own preparation, "That girl shouldn't even be _allowed_ to follow us as if her performance is somehow more tremendous. What are we, an opening act for that petulant thing?"

Tynoss shrugged, sliding his hands down his arm, watching his feathers recoil back into place like elegant flowers within a breeze, "For one, not everybody saves the best for last. Zel certainly isn't conventional."

He smirked wryly, "None of us are."

Skusli sliced the air with a punch, now heated at the thought, "All the more reason for my greatness to be displayed for what it is!"

He felt a chilly glance as Tynoss' eyes wandered toward him, leaving him to amend, " _Our_ greatness, of course."

Tynoss grinned, "Then you'd best cherish the time we currently have while she's out of commission."

"Exactly. Which is why I'm doing what I can to jolt our audience right out of their seats," Skusli explained throwing his shoulders forward in gesticulation, preparing to roar once again.

"With such cheap spectacles as growling mid-flight?"

Skusli stared at him, "Our numbers this time of the month are always deplorable. Tonight's performance is little more than a trial run."

"If you say so," Tynoss shrugged, "No reason not to send our audience home happy."

"I never said-"

The curtain that opened up into their dressing room suddenly tore away as Nekia timidly stepped into the small room, forcing silence from the other two Rito as she did so. The atmosphere, however easy it had been, immediately grew thick with resentment as Nekia stepped deeper into the room, keeping her head low as she approached her prep table, set up noticeably apart from the arrangement left to Tynoss and Skusli.

"I won't be long," she assured with a softened breath.

Skusli rolled his eyes, "Not with that ankle, you won't."

Nekia bit her tongue, choosing to remain quiet rather than incur any further resentment from the two. She stepped up to her table, sliding out a tiny drawer from within and grasping hold of a tiny pouch that lie inside. She kept her eyes low, even as she turned to leave, though she stopped immediately, having nearly stepping into Skusli, who had silently approached her from behind.

She kept her eyes to the ground, resisting the urge to force her way past him, remaining silent as Skusli's tongue spewed venomously, "Hopefully your next accident will be your last."

Nekia felt her blood boil. Instead of retorting, she threw her shoulder forward as she stepped into Skusli's torso, forcing him aside as she stomped back toward the entryway, leaving unceremoniously through the wavering curtain that hung there.

Skusli scoffed to himself as he shook his head, returning to his own prep away with a newly invigorated need to roar, clutching the table as he leaned toward his mirror, watching his face curl angrily as he shouted defiantly.

"GWAAAAH!"

Tynoss, silent as he was, could only roll his eyes at his partner's insistence.

* * *

Otoll watched with curiously wary eyes as he and Neli carried a large section of platform across the circus tent's interior, having caught a glimpse of Nekia speedily walking along the perimeter of the tent, his brow furrowing as he caught sight of her expression which seemed rather broken before she buried it against her chest as she passed by approaching stagehands.

He wondered what might have caused her such distress, though his attention was stolen as Ruze stomped across the tent's central ring, throwing his arms up in appreciation as he shouted, "It's looking excellent, everybody! Just like- AH! They're back!"

Rushing toward the tent's entryway, Ruze happily greeted the two Criers that had been sent to Hateno to garner attention, happily patting Lagun on the shoulder as he inquired immediately, "How'd it go?!"

"Eh, well…" Lagun began, nervously running a hand along his arm, leaving Norrall to reply plainly.

"Somewhat."

Ruze's eyes coiled, " _Somewhat_? What's that mean?"

"Eh," Narroll shrugged, "Not good, but, eh- Not _bad_ , I suppose."

Lagun suddenly broke into explanation, "It was terrible!"

"Terrible?!" Ruze asked with a start.

Narroll tactfully took the reigns, "Well, until my half-wit brother remembered to leave each of our guests with those parchments Ismo decided was a good idea. After that, it wasn't b- I mean, it wasn't much different than usual."

"Uh huh," Ruze nodded, stroking his rocky chin in thought, "Well, I can't say the Circus Master will be pleased with that, but at least it's not unexpected. There's a reason- Oh! Good news!"

He stepped toward the two, "The accountant arrived!"

Lagun's brow fell in curiosity while Narroll nodded knowingly, "About time. How'd the Circus Master manage _that_? on tonight of all nights to arrive?"

"Well, eh, he'll be gone before the _real_ show. She made it very clear in their correspondence that this was to be a sort of 'estimate' as to the amount of work to be done- he'll return after they agree on the terms."

Ruze grumbled, "That said, she dropped quite a few rupees his way, too."

"That'll do it," Narroll nodded, "How'd the accountant like it here?"

Ruze frowned, only in deepening thought, before replying, "I dunno. I kind of led him to The Wagon and left him to it. I don't know anything about the financial means of running this place, do you?"

" _I_ don't," Lagun shrugged.

Narroll gave him a scornful glare, "Big surprise _there_ , brother."

Lagun smirked, "Even at my age, I assure you I'm still full of surprises, whether you realize it or not."

A boisterous laugh met him as Ruze availed himself, clutching his chest as he rumbled like an earthquake, "You two are too much sometimes! Now, I've got to continue preparations for tonight's show, but you two get with Ismo and let her in on how those parchments worked, alright? She'll be thrilled to hear your report!"

He playfully smacked Lagun's shoulder before hustling off, leaving the two brothers to begin strolling through the tent's interior, careful to escape the paths of the crisscrossing deckhands, as well as Girbo's Boys, the band of Gorons that did much of the heavy-lifting all around the circus, the two of them not ceasing their conversation even after Ruze's departure.

"You make me sound like I've got my brain tied behind my back," Lagun complained breathlessly, a smarmy frown shone on his face.

Easily, Narroll retorted, "If you didn't act as such, I wouldn't have reason to point it out when questioned by a superior. You're learning, but until you actually demonstrate you can think, I haven't a reason to stop noting it."

"How mean," Lagun frowned.

"I'd rather think of it as _fair_ ," Narroll reasoned simply, shrugging, "I give what I get and- I get an odd vibe from _them_ …"

Lagun's eyes perked up as the two strode further into the tent, catching sight of an approaching group of burly Zora that stamped along with a determined gait, the men and women among the six-some barring rather large musculatures that retained a certain litheness to them. Narroll made sure to avert his direction just enough to avoid walking into them, the two brothers nodding attentively as the group passed by, the leader of the squadron, Kiva, only nodding in reply in an effortless motion that sent his dorsal fin aflutter for but a moment as his muscles constricted it back into place.

As the brothers' steps took them further past the group, Lagun took a deep breath, gasping aloud, "Bah, goddess…"

"I didn't know the Torpedoes had returned…" Narroll pointed out with a wistful tone.

Lagun turned his head over his shoulder, watching them stomp out of the tent, muttering in thought, "Zel must've been wanting tonight to be a big one. The accountant is here, the Torpedoes return- even these parchments were some innovation that Ismo worked out because of her insistence."

"I suppose you have a point," Narroll replied lowly, scratching his cheek as the two approached an interior room of the tent, stepping slowly to a stop outside its curtained doorway, "Still, not a word of that to Ismo. Ruze may have a habit of spilling too many beans, but I wouldn't dare be party to it."

In a swift motion, Lagun zippered his lips shut, earning him an assuring nod from Narroll as the younger of the two stepped up toward the curtain door.

"Good. Now, shh."

He pressed a finger to his own lips as he stepped into the small room, immediately assaulted with a brilliant green light that overpowered the tiny space, as thought a magnificently powerful neon sign had been sat within. Narroll spun his hand open to cover his eyes, with Lagun doing much the same once joining his brother inside.

Within the confines of that green space, a slight number of Airooma Circus members lay prostrate, burying their heads against the canvas floor as she whispered amongst themselves, as if in prayer, leaving Narroll and Lagun to carefully navigate the ill-spaced room. They lifted their legs with swift movements, making carefully deliberate motions as they took newer steps, closing in on their target.

At the far end of the room sat an altar, upon which a small brazier sat with small, green flames licking the air, betraying the magnanimous light being emitted from within, as though a powerful force had magnified the flame's green-burning light. Thereupon the altar stood the tiniest of the Circus' members, the Korok, Ismo, her stubby hand waving a thin slip of paper toward the brazier to keep its flames stoked.

"Ahem," Narroll cleared his throat to gain her attention, planting himself on one knee, which Lagun emulated once he navigated the final portion of worshipful bodies.

Ismo recoiled with a start before hopping in a twisting motion to peer toward her visitors, a thin, hollow shrillness making up her voice as she began, "Ah! The divine tree foretold of your swift return!"

Lagun turned his head to eye his brother skeptically, leaving Narroll to answer, "Well, we _are_ on sort of a time crunch. We, uh-"

He paused underneath the Korok's suddenly tense stare, allowing the tiny, wooden being to extol, "The divine tree knows little of time crunches. The divine tree works within its own time, I'll reveal to you!"

With a reverent reverberation, the voices of the praying bodies behind the brothers suddenly spoke in hollow breaths into the canvas.

"By the emerald light…"

Narroll's eyes widened in concealed terror, though his worry turned to his brother, who he thought must've been on the brink of tearing out of the room in a mad dash-

"Ne hee hee," Lagun chuckled under his breath, covering his face politely.

Narroll rolled his eyes, more at his worry than his brother's oblivious state, before speaking once more, "Understood, uh- We actually came to relay to you the results of those 'advertisements' you had divined, and-"

"Ah, yes!" Ismo exclaimed in an almost ear-piercing shrill, "As Airooma's marketing executive, slash chaplain, I do wish to use my divine prowess to bring great fortune to this endeavor! So, how did it go?"

Slipping one of the pieces of parchment papers from his pocket, Narroll replied, "Well, uh- I do like the idea of leaving something with potential customers, if only because our Circus can linger upon their minds- However-"

He scrolled his thumb down the slip, "-I don't know if it gets the idea across, exactly. I mean- 'Airooma Circus' is pretty washed out compared to-"

His eyes narrowed, feeling Ismo's scrutinizing gaze upon him, his voice catching in his throat, "-I mean, uh- At first glance, you'd think we were advertising for- Ismo's Cult of the Divine Tree'…"

The Korok remained stagnant, even as Narroll warily crossed his eyes with hers for only a brief moment before nervously lowering his gaze.

"..and?" Ismo asked in sincerity.

Lagun shoved an elbow into Narroll's arm, growling lowly, "This was a bad idea."

Shutting his eyes, imagining himself being in another place, Narroll jolted to reality as Ismo's tinny voice rang out suddenly, "Well, I suppose- for our purposes, it might suit us better were we to promote the Circus itself."

"I, uh- had the same idea," Narroll nervously grinned.

Ismo nodded vehemently, as though in divine ferocity, "Yes! If we were to fully concentrate on filling seats-! Once everybody arrives here, _then_ we can begin courting them into following the divine tree!"

A snap arose from Lagun's fingers as he exclaimed, "By George, that's it!"

Narroll couldn't help but slam an open palm against his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Ruze swung open the door to the wagon with a careful motion, not wishing to disturb the accountant's work as he entered, clearing his throat while taking a heavy step into the covered vehicle, muttering, "Well, uh, hey there! Have you- Wow!"

His eyes widened in a moment, finding Talo sitting in the middle of the wagon with sheets of paper lining the entirety of its floor, bringing loose slips of the parchments to his face where he examined them with a deep scrutiny in his eyes.

"You certainly took the initiative and got to work, didn't you?!" Ruze exclaimed happily.

Talo quaked in his seated pose as he dropped the paper in his hand, "Considering the amount of years this place has operated with nary a hair's breadth of oversight as to its financial dealings, I've got a lot to cover. There's not even a record of who all works here! How do you know somebody isn't to walking into camp feigning employment?!"

"Well! That's simple!" Ruze answered easily, throwing a knowing finger into the air, " I recognize just about everybody, so if somebody _were_ to show up, trust me, I would notice."

Talo whipped his head around, staring at the wistful Goron with a glare that spoke silently many words of frustration before returning to the papers scattered around him, his silence leaving Ruze to continue, "It helps, too, that everybody's sort of worked their way into their own little 'clubs', I guess. All the workers are in their groups; you've got the deckhands, led by Gille; Girbo, he and his Goron boys also help. We've got our town criers who handle advertising- Even our performers are in their own smatterings of collections!"

Talo mumbled under his breath, "No offense, but can you honestly expect me to believe that when nothing about this institution seems as though much care was offered it?"

He rose to his feet before directing his hands to the ground, "This place doesn't even much care about its revenue! I haven't located a single receipt since I've stepped into this thing!"

"Ah! About that," Ruze offered, "I mentioned that to the Circus Master, and she adamantly declared that we had receipts in here! for every entrant into our shows, no less!"

Talo's eyes narrowed as he swung his body down toward the floor, swiping at a pile of loose-leaf papers he had accumulated there, "You mean these?!"

With a careful examination, Ruze finally nodded happily, "Yes! As you can see-"

"These aren't _receipts_!" Talo charged with a whining frustration, "You have these frilly sheets of _paper_ with head counts scribbled down! IT's all random estimates! Do you realize that, for the larger part of the time, this enterprise runs solely on what amounts to _donations_?!"

Ruze shrugged, his eyes turning to what amounted to confusion, "We're still operating, aren't we?"

In a swift motion, Talo dropped his arms to his side, releasing the alleged receipts onto the floor as he slumped his shoulders. His head spun slowly to the side, absolutely appalled and aghast at what he was hearing, thinking about how the high payment he had received could not possibly have been enough to handle the matter of this Airooma Circus. He finally reached a hand up to his face, massaging his eyes as his head shook, sighing defeatedly.

He spoke up lowly, "Ruze. I need to know that this place is even _wanting_ to be run properly. I was brought here- because my expertise-"

"You were brought here to help the endeavor expand, my friend!" Ruze explained with an unearned enthusiasm, Talo thought.

Quivering where he stood, Talo's mouth fell open to reply, yet nothing came out, leaving him a moment's breath before finally working out, "E- Excuse me?!"

"As you no doubt have seen by our receipts, our attendance numbers-"

Ruze paused, noticing Talo's face melt into a scowl at the mention of those scraps of papers.

"-well, we're declining in interest, basically. Now, we have our best men on the job, along with our head of marketing, trying to rouse interest, but- Perhaps if you can handle the expenses, we can better expand this Circus to such prominence, the likes of which Hyrule has never seen!"

Talo bit his lip unexpectantly, shaking his head, "Am I to believe that-"

"Plus, your retainer will be quite the sum, should you agree to help us beyond tonight," Ruze suddenly dropped with a grin, bowing respectfully before explaining, "She told me to say that."

Groaning, Talo's head fell atop his shoulders as he spun away in defeat, slowly working his way back down to the floor to begin again, grumbling lowly as he did so, "What have I gotten myself into…"

Ruze only laughed, though his chortles only grew nervous as he began working his way out of the wagon, "Just, eh- Don't get too far, now! The show is starting within the hour, and- Just- Don't, uh- We have a strict curfew is all."

Grumbling still, Talo nodded before raising his voice, "I know, I know- It was laid out in our correspondence. I'll be gone before midnight."

His nerves happily abated, Ruze took a sharp breath before smiling wide, bowing in exit as he clutched the door handle, " _Splendid_. Alright, then! I appreciate what you're doing! We'll put on a great show in your honor!"

Talo nodded in reply, leaving Ruze to close the door behind him, leaving the accountant alone with mountains of unmarked and unorganized slips of paper becoming, once again, his only company. Going over what he had dropped into messy piles, he reexamined the tiny wagon, thinking of his estimate with a frown.

"Midnight… Goddess- I'll be here all night…" he complained with a groan, turning to the side to collect more stray papers.

* * *

"Deckhands! Into the hold!" Gille cried out in an ear-piercing voice, ensuring his command could travel across various frequencies, "The show is about to start!"

The diverse band of workers hustled away from the main performance center of the Circus, filing into a covered area beneath the bleachers where the audience was to congregate. Neli happily followed along, quickly grasping Otoll by the arm and helping him to speed up, the Zora hopping excitedly at the Hylian's side.

"Oooh! It's almost time!" he cried with restrained elation, "Everything's just been building up to this!"

Still rather despondent, Otoll didn't reply, though Neli's excitement was answered by another deckhand, a Rito by the name of Rillozo, whose deadpan tone only conflicted sharply with the Zora's happiness.

"Another soulless rehearsal, no doubt," he muttered as the three wormed their way into the hidden passage, out of sight from any of the guests.

Neli smirked, "C'mon, Rill; surely you can find some excitement about these nights! Sure, attendance is low _now_ , but-"

"Which is why it's merely a rehearsal," Rillozo noted plainly, "We get so few good shows any given month-"

Otoll interjected merely to tease Neli, "All the more reason to enjoy the shallow performances where you can get away with stuff."

"Otoll, my friend!" Neli recoiled with horror.

Rillozo crossed his arms, smirking, "See? _He_ gets it. At least all the work we put in today won't be wasted. Those shows where we put up a tent for nothing are just plain drags."

The three finally reached the crevice beneath the bleachers, ignoring Gille's incessant commands as they huddled amongst the whispering band of deckhands chattering amongst themselves.

"Remember that time there were, what, fifteen guests in attendance?" Otoll recalled, "Gosht and Tuzlall snuck into the Hippodrome's room and hid all their juggling equipment?"

"Goddess, yes," Rill mulled, his low expression betraying the excitement in his words, "They just tossed Ismo around for ten minutes without anything else."

Otoll covered his mouth to suppress a laugh, leaving Neli to glance at him with a droll tone, "Good to know _he_ can break you from your mood."

A swift, playful punch from Otoll left Neli with a smirk as he returned his attention toward the curtain that separated the deckhands from the circus floor, the massive canvas left with tiny holes that, in the light of the circus, appeared solid, but within the darkness, the dots of light allowed something of a spectator's glance onto the floor, just in case the deckhands were needed to speed out to fix something having gone wrong.

Neli's eyes narrowed as a smile encroached upon his face, "Look at it…"

Otoll rolled his eyes, his own lips curling with dissatisfaction as his head turned, attempting to find anything else to look upon than the circus floor itself through the curtain in front of them.

"Looks like empty," Rill commented in a painfully simple tone.

Neli shrugged, "Then watch the performers. I've been here for years, and I still can't withhold my excitement at watching them do what they do! Right, Otoll?"

With the Zora preoccupied with the stage floor, he failed to notice Otoll's soft gaze along the outer ring of the circus tent, gazing upon another preparation area beneath the same semi-circle of bleachers.

"I'm watching," he muttered, his eyes resting upon Nekia as she stood in the darkness, still nursing her ankle.

"See? It's intoxicating, almost!" Neli declared, forcing an authoritative voice to arise from Gille.

"HUSH!" the Sheikah man exclaimed, "Ruze is about to start it off, you insolent worm!"

Neli only chuckled at the insult, lowering his voice as he continued, "Just seeing them perform- Doing magnificent shows of beauty that I couldn't ever hope to attain. By the goddess, how could I even be worthy to lay my eyes upon these wonderous beings!"

Otoll's eyes glazed over as they stared at Nekia, taking in Neli's words in a far more different meaning than the Zora had intended. The Hylian felt his heart swell at the sight of her, watching her face brighten at the appearance of Ruze stepping into the center ring, the Rito knowing that, from now on, such performances were what she lived for.

A silent breath escaped Otoll as her face suddenly fell. Nekia's eyes slowly descended as she slid her foot out to examine the bandage covering her ankle, visibly torn to shreds over being forced to miss another performance. Otoll's brow arose with sympathy, his attention breaking away only as Ruze's booming voice stole the energy from every crevice within the tent.

"WAH HAAA!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Look at everyone out there!"

Ruze spun around, finding, at best, a collection of ten or so guests in attendance. Still, he refused to be daunted, throwing a triumphant fist into the air.

"Aaaare you reaaaadyyyy?!"

A momentary silence.

Otoll frowned, rolling his eyes in expectation as Rill noted simply, "Never fails."

The Goron tilted his head, readying his routine for the introductions, before a sudden pair of voices broke the tension of the tent.

"Yeeaaah!"

"Woo hoo!"

Ruze immediately spun around to find a pair of Hylian children hopping up and down along the front row, clutching the railing as they raged in place, so wholly full of excitement at what was to come, their father simply watching from behind them, sitting with crossed arms underscoring his clearly unamused expression.

Along the outer section of the tent, Lagun's lips pursed in wonderment as he tugged at Norrall's sleeve, "See, brother?! That's the man! I told you it would work!"

A hopefully grin spreading across Ruze's face, he threw his body around dramatically, proclaiming with such a hopeful burst of energy, "ALLLLRIIIIGHT! THEN READY YOURSELVES FOOOOR-! THE AIROOOOMAAAA CIRCUUUUUS!"

Gille lit a fuse from within a wooden box before crouching away, covering his ears before a massive *BOOOOM* punctuated Ruze's words, leaving the two children wild with elation. Ruze quickly left the center ring as the Circus burst open with the Hippodromes bounding into the ring in his place, the elite chorus of jugglers, acrobats, and rope-walkers immediately tossing and jumping- working the Circus' line of performance up toward its climax.

As he left the stage floor, Ruze raised a hand to high-five Girbo's awaiting hand, the two Goron's sharing a grin as Ruze continued on, muttering excitedly, "That's what it's all about, brother!"

* * *

As the Hippodromes left the stage floor, the lot of them collapsed in exhaustion just beyond sight of the crowd, huffing for breaths as their leader, Asuru, gave a weak congratulations to the group.

"Good… work," she commended, her tan, Gerudo skin tensing from exhaustion as sweat poured down her body, "A hundred and ten percent, every time."

One of the Hippodromes complained, "Even if we're the only ones doing so…"

Asuru's eyes shut in exhaustion as she retorted, "I don't care, Catrish. Perfection is what we aim for."

She grinned, "Besides, when was the last time we had a couple of kids to impress?"

Jik grumbled, his breaths heavy, "Why do I get the feeling that, the younger the audience, the more we work to impress them?"

"Because," Asuru noted proudly, "That's when people most need to see our magic. Complain as you like- so long as you're putting on performances like _that_ , I don't much care."

Catrish rubbed the sweat from her face as she groaned, reaching for a towel before going on, "Then I'll be the first to complain that Nocpa's footwork is shoddy, at best."

The Sheikah girl scowled, "Yeah, let me just grow my legs three feet long. _Jik_ was the one who missed the timing on the drop."

"Me?!" Jik retorted, "I'll have you know that I-!"

Asuru tuned out the arguing as she smiled satisfactorily, resting her head atop the wooden column she'd sat against, concentrating on a job well done as much as her breathing. Her attention shifted only once Ruze leapt into view, the Goron clapping his hands excitedly as he marveled.

"What a wonderful performance!" he sounded off with a massive smile, "You all-!"

Catrish threw her towel in Jik's face, forcing him to jolt backward in disgust, rapidly tossing the rag to the ground, only for it to fall onto Nocpa's head, the small girl immediately freaking out as though the sun had been extinguished.

"Well, they _should_ be proud, anyway," Ruze noted with a worrisome frown, pointing toward the rowdy bunch as he turned toward Asuru, "Shouldn't you-"

"They're fine," she confirmed with a smile, "Families fight all the time, too."

Ruze curled his lips in confusion, eying the Hippodromes with a faint worry, "If you say so… I know the Circus Master appreciates the work you put in to makes these performances absolutely marvelous."

"Yeah, well," Asuru shrugged, "Somebody's gotta start the show with a bang. Who's up next?"

Ruze thought only for a brief moment before nodded happily, "Ah! The Torpedoes should be on now! Girbo's Boys were preparing the mobile pools when I was on my way over here to congratulate you!"

"Oh, goddess, I might have to will these muscles to move, then," Asuru commented, "I'd hate to miss the 'Zora Zquad', or whatever they call themselves, thinking it to be cool."

Ruze frowned, "I mean- _I_ thought it was…"

With a furtive grin, Asuru shook her head in amusement while her Hippodrome compatriots suddenly rushed the Goron before her.

"Ruze!" Nocpa cried, "Catrish won't stop holding my juggling apparatus too high and I _need_ 'em for _practice_!"

Catrish shot back, "Well she and Jik won't quit calling me 'Twin-Toed Terri!"

"Hey! You started it!" Jik rounded out, leaving Asuru's eyes to open as she took a sharp breath.

The Gerudo shot the three with a serious glare, speaking up quietly, "If you find each other so detestable, there are many other roles one can accept here at the circus…"

At such a plainly vague threat, the three of them gradually began to calm themselves, with Catrish leading the pack with a quiet voice accompanying her hand rubbing down her arm nervously, "I mean- I guess they're not _that_ bad…"

"Good," Asuru nodded before returning her head to the wooden beam, "Now take a breather and get ready for the finale."

"Yes, ma'am.

"Alright…"

"Okay."

The three spun away before returning to the Hippodrome's dressing room just outside the main tent of the Airooma Circus, leaving Ruze astonished as to Asuru's handywork.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, "I didn't even have to say anything!"

Asuru smirked, shaking her head, "Don't mention it. They all _act_ like children; I figure I've gotta act a mom sometimes."

She rolled her eyes, though her indifference belied the warmth within her, both of their wonderful performance, as well as the fact that she couldn't think of any other group she'd rather be performing with.

* * *

Girbo's Boys quickly left the center ring as the Torpedoes replaced them, the squad of six Zora readying themselves for their performance. The troupe of Gorons had slid five pools of varying size along the center of the tent, leaving the squadron with their acrobatic performance space.

"Yeeeaah!" cried one of the children in the thin crowd, though such encouragement was left unheeded by the squadron, all of whom remained with faces as still at ice.

Beneath the bleachers, Neli watched with astonishment, clutching Otoll's arm excitedly until the Hylian physically forced him away once his blood flow became noticeably weakened.

"Gah, knock it off!" he complained.

Neli kept his hands to himself as he shook with excitement, "Look at them though! They were the talk of the Domain for the longest time not too many years ago! I used to sneak out to watch them back when I was a taddie!"

"Taddie. Pfft," came a stifled laugh from another deckhand.

Otoll placed a stare upon his boorish associate, returning his attention to the Torpedoes as Neli went on, "Kiva is the top-dog of the group, but the others are just as good! Nenume- she can launch herself to high into the air, you'd think she were a rain cloud! Her brother, Nakin, can- Mmm!"

He shook excitedly, "Don't you just wanna bask on top of him?!"

"Can't say I've thought of it," came a muttering from Rill, who was preoccupied with some hardened dirt he was clawing out from his talons.

Neli clutched his arms, wiggling back in forth in a childish display of immense infatuation, "I can breath in water, but I don't think I'd be able to if he were to hold me! Gaaah!"

"SHHH!" Gille lunged in furious reminder.

As though excited to share the sentiment, Neli spun toward Otoll, "It's like if you were trapped within Nekia's-!"

Otoll immediately wore wide eyes as he threw his arms out, grappling Neli and dragging him close enough for his free hand to cover his mouth, silence lingering for a brief moment, save for the splashing of water beyond the darkness beneath the bleachers, until a sick realization came across Otoll's stomach in the form of nausea.

"Nekia…" Rill quietly murmured, still clawing at the dirt between his toes, "You and her?"

Otoll shivered in terror, releasing Neli only to silence Rillozo with a sudden, "Shh! Just-! Don't!"

Rill's eyes narrowed in thought, his voice deadpanning as it wandered into curious lines of questioning, "How would that even work…"

"I- I- I-" Otoll stammered, "What?!"

Rolling his eyes, Rillozo gave the Hylian a sidelong glance, "She's a flier. You're a deckhand. She wouldn't give us the time of day."

While the statement lightened the stress upon Otoll somewhat, it brought about an entirely other stressor, one that was, perhaps, more prudent than the last.

"I mean-" Otoll meandered quietly, his voice trailing off, "It isn't as if I ever imagined anything would come of it. I just-…"

Rill shrugged, muttering plainly, his voice still monotone as ever, "She's got Tynoss and Skusli to choose from, were she so inclined. Those two are gods."

"Yeah…" Otoll spoke up lifelessly, sighing with a rising weakness at his heart.

He lowered his head in dejection, raising his eyes only to peer toward the performance currently taking place, noticing Neli's abject silence throughout. Otoll allowed himself to leave his weary state just long enough to, essentially, perform a wellness check on Neli, only to find the Zora utterly enraptured by the performance, mouth hung open in worshipful awe at the display occurring before him.

Rill noted lifelessly, "They do great work, the Torpedoes."

"Y- Yes he does…" Neli managed weakly, reverence lining his voice.


	4. Chapter 4

As the show came to an end, Ruze stood astutely at the entrance to the circus tent, head raised high as he awaited the guests who would soon be strolling his way. His main role as proprietor, after all, was to, first and foremost, be a cordial face of the Airooma Circus, which was a task he took to diligently.

His hands held behind his back, a massive smile stretched across his face, even as Gille hopped toward him, the tiny Sheikah counting his fingers as he approached the massive Goron that seemed a mountain next to him.

"Two… three…" Gille muttered, speaking up once within earshot, "The show dragged a bit, Ruze…"

The Goron nodded, smiling, "Yes, well, with children in attendance, it's our job to-!"

"That's a mess of an excuse!" Gille accused, "Have you an idea that we're on a curfew?!"

Ruze nodded simply, answering quickly, "Of course! Which is why I didn't ask Asuru to extend the finale even further!"

A tiny _plop_ broke the air as Gille slapped his face with an open palm, quivering as he cursed under his breath before retorting, "I don't think you understand the seriousness, Ruze. If something goes wrong-"

"Something goes wrong _every_ show, my friend. We've gone, say, one hundred eighty-two for one hundred eighty-two, and with _those_ stats, I'd say we've got fate on our side," Ruze happily exclaimed, "Now, here come our guests, so- Hello there! Did you enjoy the show?!"

The Rito sauntered along with little comment, seemingly bored by the affair, which was a sentiment borrowed by the Hylian couple who followed behind him.

"Well, it was-" the guest mumbled, "I mean, it was better than skipping rocks."

While Gille crossed his arms in shown offense, Ruze simply grinned wildly as he replied, "Excellent! We hope you spread the word, and we'd be thrilled to have you return in the future!"

The Hylian pulled his counterpart closer, the two seemingly having been on a date, with the man whispering into the woman's ear as they walked along, "It's cool- I nearly fell asleep, too."

Gille frowned, slapping Ruze's ankle before charging, "You hear that?! We're a mess!"

"Come now," Ruze assured, "You know just as well that the fun has yet to begin."

A wry smirk spread across the Goron's face as Gille grumbled lowly, "I suppose. but as long as we're handling expenses for _these_ shows, we'd best be turning a profit, at least!"

"We will, don't worry!" Ruze assured, "That's why we brought in- Well, hello there! Did you enjoy the show?!"

The small pack of teenage Hateno-dwellers snickered as they passed by, talking quietly amongst themselves, leaving Ruze rather miffed by the nonexistence exchange.

"Stupid kids," Gille complained, his arms tightening against his chest, "Probably treated this more as a _peep_ show…"

Ruze shrugged, "Well, so long as they're paying custom- They did pay, didn't they?"

"How would _I_ know?!" Gille exclaimed, "And when were you concerned with payment? I've seen you bring in people off the road and pack 'em in without even a rupee tossed aside!"

His lips curled inward with embarrassment, Ruze merely started to stroke his chin as he pondered over the guests' payments, leaving Gille to complain further as he watched the teenagers disappear, " _Paying_ _customers_ … They could bury me beneath all of Hyrule's treasures- They better not start ogling _my_ fellows like cretins."

Ruze's face shone with surprise, "I've never known you to take up for your compatriots like that, Gille!"

"Pah!" the Sheikah exclaimed, "Deckhand or not, I'm still a member of this circus."

He shrugged, shooting Ruze a sidelong glance, "I mean, _you're_ a bonehead half the time- you don't see _me_ throwing you to the wolves."

"I will accept the compliment," Ruze chortled happily before clearing his throat, sighting the next guest approaching as a hastened pace.

"Hello, there! How did you-!"

"Have you seem 'em?!"

Ruze's face went as pale as it could go, his excitement melting away to concern as he replied, "'em? Who's 'em?"

"My kids!" the man hurriedly answered in a fright, "The two- You saw 'em! They got away from me after the show 'n I can't find 'em!"

Ruze's eyes grew like tiny saucers as Gille slammed a foot into his ankle, the Sheikah shouting with a start, "What did I tell you?! Something always goes wrong!"

The guest's face worsened, "W- What went wrong?!"

"Ha ha!" Ruze suddenly laughed in an attempt to lessen the tension, "Nothing! Nothing. We're a hundred eighty-two for a hundred eighty-two on surprising events occurring and handling them appropriately! I suppose with _two_ children-"

The Goron counted his fingers, "This'll only make it a hundred eighty-four!"

The man's expression noticeably darkened as he spun in place, "C- Can I find somebody who knows what they're-"

"Bah, I know what I'm doing!" Ruze assured, taking the guest's arms and directing him away, "Come on, friend. We've got nothing but time to discover their whereabouts!"

Before he could stroll too far, Ruze rushed back to Gille, leaning low as he hurried with a hushed tone, "We don't have time! Get some of your boys together and find those two kids, got it?!"

Gille rolled his eyes as Ruze immediately spun back to return to the guest, the Goron's laughter taking a noticeably nervous tinge as he did so. The Sheikah growled under his breath as he stepped back toward the entrance to the massive tent, taking a glance at the sky for a brief moment before stepping inside.

* * *

With the deckhands smattered about the circus floor, fixing up the venue for the next show, Otoll and Neli were hard at work tag-teaming the large portions of stage accompaniments that had been shifted around to accommodate the varying performance spaces, leaving the two breathless as they conversed in between assignments.

"Gaaah," Otoll groaned as the two dropped the giant wooden slab onto the floor, wiping his hands across his britches before complaining, "Damn splinter."

He raised his hand to examine his palm, leaving Neli to approach him, raising his scaled hand to pull Otoll's injury closer, "Hmm. Isn't too bad."

"Like _you_ would know, your scaliness."

Neli grinned, "I'll admit, I'm bullshitting. Just trying to alleviate any worry you might have."

"About a splinter?" Otoll questioned with a smarmy grin, "I used to get these, what, twice a week. Products of working for a carpenter."

"Ah ha, so a portion of the tapestry is revealed," Neli marveled lowly, his teasing words leaving Otoll rolling his eyes as the Zora went on, "I've revealed so much about _my_ history; I was wondering when you'd start spilling yours."

Otoll eyed him, "Does it matter now?"

"Eh," Neli shrugged as the two lifted up the next assigned piece of lumber, "Regardless of where we are now, I figure- HUURH! -you know, our histories are still a part of us. in _some_ way, perhaps."

Shrugging mid-lift, Otoll replied, "I mean, if you feel that way- At least it explains why you're so open about everything."

They dropped the lumber to the ground, leaving Otoll wiping the sweat from his brow, which Neli emulated, leaving the Hylian to note, "You did it again."

"What? Wipe my brow?" Neli chuckled, "I can't help it. I see so many people here doing it."

"So you say. I know part of you does it just to tease me."

Neli grinned, "Oh, please. Now, enough of that and help with-"

"HEY!"

The bleedingly-sharp voice could only come from Gille, who scrambled into the stage area with a skittering pace, his tiny feet only taking him so far within the time allotted, forcing his voice to make up for the distance.

"YOU! YOU! AND YOU!"

The taskmaster had aimed a finger toward Otoll, as well as two other deckhands, before clamoring angrily, "YOU THREE! Scavenge the whole area! We've got two children scurrying around and we've gotta get 'em outta here! Got it!"

"Yes, sir!" Otoll replied in time with the two others, though instead of immediately taking off, he turned toward Neli, who shrugged in reply.

After a moment to collect his thoughts, Otoll strode up, more of less simply walking quickly rather than sprinting as Gille had. He first thought of places to hide, knowing from his own experience the temptation of hiding within the walls of some building, only to emerge after they had closed, leaving him with unlimited access to foods or candies. He figured might be the same for these children, at the very least, and be began beneath the bleachers, the dark enclosure where the deckhands had been huddled beneath during the show.

With no results, he moved on, hoping that strategy would outpace the speed with which the other two hands had taken off with. Darker, more curious places- spots where children would most gravitate to, especially those with the conniving nature to escape a parent in the first place. Otoll rounded the tent, thinking of Nekia as he passed by the spot he had caught her weary face earlier in the evening, wondering where she might now be, given the ending of the show.

Gille remained within the center of the tent, fidgeting with worry as he bit as his fingernails, turning round in place as if he were a lighthouse seeking bodies rather than ships. He recoiled as Ruze entered the tent, the Goron making a hasty dash toward the Sheikah man, the uncharacteristic speed catching most of the deckhands' attention, forcing him to lean in close in order to relay his words to Gille.

"I left the man with Relelo," he explained with a rushed voice, "I told her to keep their search near the entrance so they can make a hasty exit once we find the kids."

Gille frowned, "I hope you realize that this entire enterprise rests on us finding these kids quickly, right?!"

"Well?!" Ruze retorted, his frustration breaking through his normally positive demeanor, "Why not have _all_ your deckhands searching?!"

"And sink the upcoming show?! We'd be up the creek without a paddle in _that_ instance, too!" Gille charged, taking a deep breath now that he realized his needing to be the rational one with Ruze growing terrified, "I've got my three quickest men on the task, alright?"

Ruze dropped his head, "I pray that they truly are. You know having them running about isn't going to play well with the equilibrium."

"And whose fault is that?!" Gille exclaimed, slapping Ruze's leg with a furious swipe, "There are no good consequences in this situation- I'm merely playing for the best of the bad ones to avoid the tremendously terrible ones! Now, if you'd like to join in on the search yourself, I can remain here and-"

* * *

Otoll carefully pulled away the darkly thick curtain that opened up into Ismo's fabric enclave, narrowing his eyes to combat the blindingly emerald light that continued to billow from the altar's brazier, stepping inside to allow a hand to shield his face. Keeping his head low, he caught a sensory glimpse of the children through his ears before his eyes, the two children giggling from somewhere in front of him as he gradually worked his eyes to better acclimatize them to the piercingly bright light.

"Hehehe!" one of the children giggled, "It's a little tree man!"

Ismo's teeny voice broke through the team of laughter, "Why, I-! I'm no man, you whelp! Have you no eyes to glance upon these leaves?!"

"It talks, too!" the other kid cried out with amusement, immediately bursting with incessant laughter as they joined in with their counterpart.

With an auditory anger, Ismo began to quake in place, charging with her tremulous voice, "Another insult like that, and I'll have you both tossed into the soup!"

"Bwah ha ha!" the two children laughed, only ceasing their humourous reverie as Otoll stepped behind them, taking both of them by the shoulders, which forced the both of them to whip around in sudden terror.

"WAAAAH!"

"GAAAAAH!"

Otoll frowned with a groan, turning toward Ismo with a bow, "Sorry about that."

"Yes, well," Ismo mumbled gracefully, smoothing out the few stems of leaves that dotted her arms, "Just so our soup isn't tainted due to their insolence."

The Hylian nodded before turning around, nearly dragging the two children behind him as they both tugged at his arms in attempts to free themselves.

"Hey, let go!" cried one of them as Otoll dragged the two of them out through the curtained door.

Otoll rolled his eyes with a sigh, shaking his head, "You two really _are_ whelps. Just come on and get out of here."

"No!" whined the other, "We've gotta see the Zoras!"

"Why?" Otoll asked, stopping in place before letting go, now that the two kid's had stopped their battling, turning around to face them, "Do you have a death wish?"

The older of the two growled, "A death wish?! They wouldn't hurt nobody! They were cool!"

"Oh, yeah?" Otoll inquired, "You do know what happens after the circus closes, don't you?"

The child's voice shook as they fought to answer, "N- Nothing!"

"…right?" eeked the other.

Otoll grinned, "Oh, _everything_ happens after the tent closes."

He crouched down to the children's level, his voice lowering to a dauntingly terrifying tone, "You know about the skultullas, don't you? When the sun goes down, they lie in wait in the ground, waiting for anybody brave enough to leave the road."

Otoll raised his hands dramatically, acting out the scene had had described, "They're collections of bone. The remnants of the dead. That's why we're so desperate to get you two out of here. A moment too long after the moon rises- You never know…when…you…might…"

"BOO!"

The two children leapt the height of a building it seemed as they shrieked in abject terror before running for their lives back toward the entryway of the circus tent, leaving Otoll to snicker mischeviously as he stood up, reaching a fist out for Neli to bump as the two watched the two kids flagrantly scurry past their fellow deckhands.

"Perfect timing," Otoll commended.

Neli shrugged, "Your story did most of the work, really."

Smirking, the Zora went on, "Still, I must say, my clammy paws grapping their necks must've added a certain layer of something or other."

Otoll rolled his eyes, "Skultullas. Never thought my bed time stories would ever come back to help me."

"Ah. and, yet, more of the tapestry is unfurled," Neli pointed out with a smirk, bouncing away as Otoll took a playful swipe in his direction.

* * *

"AAAAH!"

"AAAAH!"

The two children burst through the entrance to the circus, leaving Ruze to stumble along behind them, unable to keep up with the sheer speed of the tiny demons. He worked himself to a halt before leaning over, clutching his knees while taking deepening breaths, smiling as the kids found their father, kept in sight by Relelo's attentiveness. They immediately slammed into their father's legs, crying out in terror, much to the parent's dismay, though Ruze was quick to smile in replay as he raised an exhausted hand into the air.

"Come- again!" he happily reminded between breaths, returning his hand to his knee as the three began to leave, the two kids attempting to drag their father along toward the nearest dirt road.

Left unable to move from exhaustion, Ruze remained largely incapacitated when Gille's tiny legs finally caught up with him, the Sheikah clamoring for an answer as he arrived.

"Well?! Are they gone?!"

Ruze nodded lazily, smiling as he turned his face toward Gille, "Told you everything would work out. Everybody's gone, just in time for the biggest show."

"Hmm, yes," Gille nodded, taking in a sigh as he went over the situation in his mind, "I suppose, in that case, I'll get the boys back to work. We've little time to spare, now, so- Oh, what was it you were saying?"

Ruze pushed himself up, stretching himself out as he muttered, "Saying what?"

"Before this mess with those kids. We were discussing finances and the like and you mentioned something-" Gille suddenly paused as Ruze's eyes widened in realization.

"…what?"

Ruze turned to him, unable to speak as he recognized his error. As his eyes lay upon the Sheikah, from his peripheral vision, Ruze noticed tiny pockets of blackness beginning to fall from the sky, like the darkest snow, forcing his spine to tingle as he turned his attention toward the sky. Columns of black lines began to sprout from the ground surrounding the two, like earthen tentacles, and the starlit sky began to take on the appearance of crimson tinge.

Ruze reached out a hand, allowing one of the niveous bits of darkness to rest within his palm, his teeth biting at his lip as the moon began to lose its pale hue, a blood red tinge crossing its face, leaving the Goron with no time to act.

"She's not going to like this…" he muttered to himself.

* * *

Within the tiny wagon, left to his own devices, Talo continued his work, angrily cursing to himself whenever the wholly inept operations of the Airooma Circus came to the forefront of his mind, which occurred quite often. So ensconced was he in his work that the crimson light entering through the only window of the wagon didn't even occur to him as he scrounged up pages upon pages of documentation that hardly satisfied that very term. He stood up to stretch, cursing under his breath as he allowed his mind to take a rest, massaging his eyes as he slowly spun in place.

"Goddess, this place," he murmured to himself, "Forgive me for such stupidity. I was wrong to-"

His hands fell from his face, leaving his eyes growing into orbs of pure terror, noticing the pale rays of red moonlight cascading in through the window. Talo clutched his chests as he backed away, slipping on a stray piece of paper and slamming into the ground, though still forcing himself farther into the wagon as he stammered.

"B- B- Blood Moon…" he recognized, hurriedly turning his head for somewhere further to hide within the wagon, but finding nothing.

He quickly scurried around, trying to find anything of an escape, a hiding place, a-

*click*

Talo spun around, his eyes locked on the door as he froze in terror. He could feel his heart racing, just about prepared to burst from his chest now that his throat was blocked by a solid breath lodged within. His hands shook mightily against the wooden floor, his nails biting into the lumber as stress arose within his body. Butterflies ravaged his gut as he faced the prospect of having to fight for his life, knowing that the Blood Moon was to bring the most terrifying of evils upon Hyrule.

The wagon's door slowly began to swing open, allowing a stream of crimson light to cast onto the floor, just beyond Talo's foot. He shivered in terror, knowing he needed to find a weapon to defend himself, but also so indelibly frozen in terror as he lay there, barely able to keep his upper body upright as his arms waved like weakening columns of lead.

A footstep. A hand at the door frame. Talo's heart stopped beating.

A face emerged as the large body of a tuxedo-clad woman entered, her face ravaged by dark strands of crimson light, as if the blood-red moonlight had left its mark upon her grotesque mixture of skin and bone. Talo's eyes widened beyond what he thought could ever be possible. He recognized her to be a Gerudo, but just barely- half her face had been shredded away, leaving only bone behind torn strands of skin that hung from the splotched of face where skin remained.

Nausea swept through his body, even as the demonic being noticeable smiled down toward him.

"Well, well, well; if this isn't an odd predicament," came a raspy, female voice, the Gerudo resting her fists against her hips as she shook her head.

Talo watched nervously, still, as the zombie-fied woman turned her attention outside the door, wondering with annoyance, "I would _love_ an explanation, Ruze."

"W- Well, that- is to say…" Talo could catch the Goron's voice, but just as sudden as it had appeared, it had vanished with a sudden swipe of the Gerudo's hand.

"No matter, now," she mentioned with a shrug, returning her attention to Talo, "You're the accountant, correct?"

Talo's nerves slowly began to melt into something resembling confusion, his throat catching in his throat as he attempted to stammer a reply, "I- I- That-"

The woman smirked, as though humored by his inability to reply, noting simply, "Well, I suppose you're acting how I might expect. Allow me to introduce myself, in any case."

She reached up to grab hold of the top hat that rested above her malformed head, bringing it to her tuxedo-clad chest as she took a regal-looking bow, bringing herself back up before proclaiming easily.

"I am Zel'Uvam. Owner of this, here, Airooma Circus," she smirked, "or, as our _current_ clientele refer to it, The Crimson Circus."


End file.
